T-type locker handle

ABSTRACT

A locker handle particularly adapted for use in a locker assembly including a frame and door means hingedly mounted on the frame for opening and closing movement having handle bearing means mounted on the door and generally T-shaped handle means disposed for rotation in the handle bearing means. Latching means are mounted on the inward end of the handle means and movable thereby to engage or disengage an adjacent door and/or the frame at one or more points when the door means are in a closed position and thereby latch and unlatch the door means from the frame. The handle means is integrally formed having a gripping portion joined to a generally cylindrical stem portion and offset slightly from the central axis of the stem portion so that a locking means having a shackle may be inserted through cooperative openings in the stem portion and the handle bearing means to prevent their relative movement while providing easy access to its back while in a locked condition.

United States Patent [191 Harrell [451 Oct. 22, 1974 I T-TYPE LOCKERHANDLE Bob G. Harrell, Greenwood, Miss.

[73] Assignee: Jackes-Evans Manufacturing Company, LeFlore, Miss.

[22] Filed: Mar. 12, 1973 [21] Appl. N0.: 340,207

[75] Inventor:

Primary ExaminerAlbert G. Craig, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Gomer W.Walters 57 ABSTRACT A locker handle particularly adapted for use in alocker assembly including a frame and door means hingedly mounted on theframe for opening and closing movement having handle bearing meansmounted on the door and generally T-shaped handle means disposed forrotation in the handle bearing means. Latching means are mounted on theinward end of the handle means and movable thereby to engage or disengageatd cran l e.ftameaton n mre p ohits when the door mfifisare in aclosed position and thereby latch and unlatch the door means from theframe. The handle means is integrally formed having a gripping portionjoined to a generally cylindrical stem portion and offset slightly fromthe central axis of the stem portion so that a locking means having ashackle may be inserted through cooperative openings in the stem portionand the handle bearing means to prevent their relative movement whileproviding easy access to its back while in a locked condition.

11 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures alemalns PATENTEDUCT 22 I874 sum 2 U 3T-TYPE LOCKER HANDLE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention This invention relates to handle and latching means 5 2.Description of the Prior Art While T-shaped locker handles have beenwidely used in lockers installed in gymnasiums and militaryinstallations, present handles include several significantdisadvantages. One of the main disadvantages is that such handles havenever been successfully used with a three-point latch system; that is, asystem which latches a locker door at the top, bottom and mid-portionsof the door and is operated by simple movement of the T- handle itself.In the past, most T-handle lockers have only had one point latchingsystems, and thus, lockers subject to heavy abuses such as those used ingymnasiums, have often been damaged or broken into because of the lackof effective latching at the top and bottom.

Another disadvantage of prior T-type handles is that, because of theirconstruction, it had been virtually impossible or at least extremelydifficult to gain access to the back of the locking means to open it orto obtain information from it in case an emergency requires access tothe locker by authorized personnel. Any upward pivoting movement of thelocking means was always obstructed by handles thereby preventing accessto the back.

Finally, while prior T-type handles and latching mechanisms arerelatively complex and therefore, expensive to manufacture, they havenot proven to be rigid enough in either construction or mounting towithstand the abuse to which the lockers on which they are placed areconstantly subjected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a novel T-shapedlocker handle assembly which is securely mounted to a locker door orframe and operates a three-point latching system while being formed soas to offer easy access to the back of a locking means in lockedcondition. This T-type locker handle overcomes the disadvantages of theprior art and satisfactorily meets military requirements by a handlemeans which is disposed for rotation relative to a locker door in ahollow handle bearing means mounted on the door. The handle meansincludes an integrally formed gripping portion corresponding to the topof a T which is disposed generally transversely to a cylindrical sternportion corresponding to the stem of a T. The stem portion has anopening formed therein to receive the shackle of a locking means. Thegripping portion is offset from the central axis of the stem portion sothat when the stem portion is inserted into the handle bearing means andthe handle is in operating condition, the locking means received throughcorresponding openings in the stem portion and handle bearing means maybe pivoted upwardly to a horizontal position allowing easy access toinformation or secondary access locking means found at the back of thelocking means.

The handle means has mounted for rotation with it, at the inward end ofthe stern portion, a key-shaped latching cam. This latching cam may bepivoted with the handle means to either enter cooperative openingsformed in the door and the frame adjacent to it or be positioned on theopposite side of the frame flange from the door, to latch the door atits mid-point. The latching cam also has, pivotally mounted on it,opposite upper and lower connecting rods having latch means at outerends movable into and out of cooperatively aligned openings in the doorand the frame to engage or disengage the frame and prevent opening ofthe door. The door may thereby be latched at three points along itsheight to hold it securely in closed position and prevent damage due tobending of the door at the top or bottom.

The stem portion of the handle means is formed with an openingtherethrough which may be cooperatively aligned with an opening formedin the handle bearing means mounted on the door so that when thegripping portion of the handle means is in generally horizontal positionand the door is latched, a shackle of a locking means may be insertedthrough these openings to prevent rotation of the handle means andunlatching of the door. However, since the gripping portion of thehandle means is offset with respect to the central axis of rotation ofthe stem portion, the entire locking means, though in locked condition,may be rotated forwardly and upwardly to allow access to its back. Thispermits authorized personnel to obtain information from the back of thelock or to open the lock by a secondary access locking means at its backthereby, in emergency situations, to gain access to the interior of thelocker.

severe abuse.

It is another object of this invention to provide a locker handleassembly which is so formed to allow a locking means, in lockedcondition, to prevent movement of the handle, while being movable itselfto a position permitting access to the back of the locking means.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a locker handleassembly including a latching means which is operable and effective toprovide three-point or one-point latching of the locker door withrespect to the locker frame.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a lockerhandle assembly including a handle means mounted within and rotatablewith respect to a handle bearing means, which is connected to a latchingmeans designed to provide three-point latching of the locker door withrespect to the locker frame.

These and other objects of this invention will become evident from thefollowing description of the drawings illustrating a preferredembodiment wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a front view of the T-typelocker handle assembly of this invention shown mounted on a locker doorand frame;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the locker handle assembly of thisinvention taken generally along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the, locker handle assembly of thisinvention taken generally along line 33 of FIG. 1 and showing thepossible relative movement of the locking means with respect to saidhandle;

FIG. 4 is a rear elevational view of the locker handle assembly takengenerally along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 and showing, in hidden lines, thepivotal movement of the latching means of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the locker handle assembly ofthis invention shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of the singlepoint latching means ofthe locker handle assembly of this invention taken generally along line6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the interior of thehandle means and handle bearing means of the locker handle assembly ofthis invention taken generally along line 7-7 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the locker handle assembly ofthis invention shown in FIG. 3; and,

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to thedrawings and in particular, to FIG. 1, the locker handle assembly ofthis invention is shown generally at 10. This locker handle assembly 10is shown mounted on a locker door 12 which is hingedly mounted over anopening on a locker frame 14 to form a closure member for a lockerassembly. While it is recognized that the locker handle assembly 10 ofthis invention could also be mounted on a double door type lockerassembly wherein the numeral 14 would refer to the opposite door, thelatching means operated by the locker handle will remain of the sameconstruction and this invention will function in the same manner withthe same result as in a single door assembly. It is also clearthat'locker handle assembly 10 could be mounted on the frame 14 of thelocker assembly by minor modifications of the embodiment shown. Again,however, the locker handle assembly 10 would function in the same mannerto achieve the same result.

The locker handle assembly 10 is shown in FIG. 1 having a locking meansor padlock 16 in locked condition with the shackle 17 of the padlock incooperative engagement with the locker handle assembly 10 to preventmovement of the locker handle assembly 10 and subsequent opening of thedoor. The padlock 16 has a rear face 18, as shown in FIG. 3, whichnormally contains information such as a serial or master code numberwhich must be obtained to open the lock. It may contain a secondaryaccess lock of a key type to allow a master key to be used directly toopen the locking means 16.

The locker handle assembly 10, as shown in FIGS. l-3, 5 and 8, includesa handle bearing means 20 having a generally flat plate portion 19having upper and lower extensions through which fastening means 21 maybe inserted through corresponding openings formed in the door 12 tomaintain the entire locker handle assembly 10 is a secure and rigidposition on the locker door 12. Fastening means 21 may consist of anunslotted screw threaded at its one end to engage a hexagonal nut with alock washer interposed between the opposite side of the door 12, asshown in FIG. 2. The handle bearing means has, at its center, a sleeveportion 23 having a generally cylindrical exterior and hollow interiorbore tapered very slightly toward its rear. This sleeve portion 23extends from either side of plate 19 with the rearward portion extendingthrough a corresponding opening 25 on door 12.

The sleeve portion 23 of the handle bearing means 20 has disposed withinit, for rotation relative to it, a handle means shown generally at 22.Handle means 22 is generally shaped in the form of a T, thus giving riseto the name T-Type Handle." Handle means 22 includes a gripping or barportion 26 which is integrally formed with a stem portion 24 disposedgenerally normally to it. Stem portion 24 has a central axis aroundwhich the handle means 22 is rotated. Stem portion 24 is taperedinwardly toward its rearward end to a degree corresponding to the taperof the interior of sleeve portion 23 of handle bearing means 19 so thathandle means 22 may be inserted within the sleeve portion 23 forrotational movement.

As shown in FIG. 5, the handle means 22 is uniquely formed with thegripping or bar portion 26 offset from the central axis of stem portion24. The shackle 17 of locking means 16 may be inserted throughcorresponding shackle openings 28 in the bearing means and 29 in thestem portion of the handle means 22 to a position shown by the heavylines in FIG. 3. However, the configuration of the handle means notedabove permits the padlock 16, in locked condition, to be pivotedupwardly on shackle 17, disposed through the openings 28 and 29, to theposition shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 3. The maneuverability of thelocking means 16 relative to the handle 22 allowed by the novelconfiguration of the handle means 22 permits authorized personnel togain access to the information or secondary access means positioned onthe back of the padlock 16.

As shown in FIG. 8, the stem portion 24 of handle means 22, has, at itsinward or rearward end, a rectangular boss 30. This boss may be insertedinto a corresponding rectangular hole 31 formed in a generally T- shapedlatching cam 32. Latching cam 32 is fixedly mounted to handle means 22over boss 30, in a singlepoint latching system, by a lock washer and camfastener as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. Fastening means 40 is inserted intoa cored, threaded hole which is bored into the stem portion 24 of handlemeans 22, as shown in FIG. 5, to assure a positive connection.

In constructing a three-point latching system, on the other hand, anupper latching means or rod 42 and lower latching means or rod 46 aremounted directly on the upper and lower ears of the T-shaped latchingcam 32, respectively. These rods are pivotally mounted with respect tothe latching cam 32 by pins 39 which permit the latching cam to pivotwith respect to the opposite rods 42 and 46, respectively. A cam plate38 is interposed between the cam fastener 40 and the latching cam 32,before fastener 40 is inserted through opening 31 in latching cam 32 toengage handle means 22. This plate 38 also receives, at its upper andlower ends, the pivot pins 39 to assure that movement of latching cam 32will always cause generally vertical movement of the upper and lowerlatching means 42 and 46.

The upper and lower latching means 42 and 46 also have, at their endsopposite the latching cam 32, means for engaging the locker frame 14 toeffect a positive latch. For the sake of brevity, only one of theseframe engaging latching means will be described in detail here, theopposite, but similar latching arrangement being denoted by primenumerals in the drawing, as shown in FIG. 9. The upper latch means orrod 42 passes through a guide means 45 disposed near its upperend whichserves to track the latch means 42 toward a hole formed in the topflange 47 of the door 12. When the door 12 is in closed position, thishole in the flange 47 will be aligned with a corresponding hole formedin the flange 48 of the frame 14. Guided by the guide means 45, the rodpasses through an eyelet 44 which is held in position, allowing for acertain amount of play, by a spring clip 43. This enables the connectingrod 42, which is usually displaced somewhat laterally due to themovement caused by rotation of the latching cam 32, to be maintained ina location permitting insertion of the end of the rod 42 through thecorresponding aligned openings in the door flange 47 and frame flange lnthe operation of the locker handle assembly of this invention with thelocking means 16, the shackle 17 of the padlock 16 is removed fromopenings 28 and 29 to permit rotation of the handle means 22. The handlemeans 22 may then be turned to rotate the latching cam 32 about thecentral axis of the stem portion 24 of the handle means 22, causing thestem of the T-portion of the latching means 32 to be removed fromcorresponding openings formed in the vertical door flange and the frameflange into which it has been inserted to prevent movement of the middleof the door 12 relative to the frame 14. This movement also pulls upperrod 42 downwardly and moves lower rod upwardly to withdraw the ends ofthese rods into the eyelets 44 and 44' disposed adjacent the upper andlower door flanges 47. Such movement disengages all latching means fromthe frame and unlatches the door to permit its opening.

Conversely, the rotation of the handle means 22 in the oppositedirection will cause the latching cam 32 and upper and lower latchingmeans 42 and 46 to engage the frame 14 and latch the door in a closedposition. The shackle 17 of the padlock 16 may then be in-- sertedthrough openings 28 and 29, which are now in aligned position, toprevent further rotation of the handle means 22 and unlatching of thedoor 12. In such a position, the door will be latched at three points,its mid-portion, its top and its bottom, to securely and effectivelymaintain it in closed position. It therefore will be able to resistsevere abuse and connot be pryed open at the top or bottom to preventits proper closure, as often happens to present type T-type lockerassemblies.

It is recognized that the locker handle assembly 10 of this invention isadaptable to permit use of simply the latching plate 38 and latching cam32 alone, as described above, so that latching will occur at only themid-point of the locker door 12. This would be particularly useful insmaller lockers or in those locations in which such lockers are notsubject to abuse or attempted break ins.

It is also clear that the latching cam 32 shown in F IG. 2 could beformed so that the extended stem of the T,

when rotated to a latching position, would be positioned behind theflange of the frame 14 to engage the frame 14 and prevent opening of thedoor. A latching cam in such a reverse S-shaped configuration wouldeffectively latch the door without the necessity of formingcorresponding openings in the door and the locker frame.

The materials suitable for construction of the locker handle assembly ofthis invention include any material which may be easily formed, bored ormilled to the required dimensions, but which will endure much abuse andwithstand stresses. Such materials include steel and steel alloys, brassand iron.

While this invention has been described in relation to a preferredembodiment thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatvarious modifications may be made without departing from the principlesof the invention embodied herein. Therefore, only such limitationsshould be imposed as are indicated by the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A locker assembly including a frame, a door hingedly mounted on saidframe for opening and closing movement with respect thereto, handlebearing means mounted on said door, handle means being mounted in saidhandle bearing means for rotation relative to said door about a centralaxis, said handle means being used in latching, unlatching and openingand closing said door, and latching means mounted on said handle meansand movable on rotation thereof with respect to said door to engage anddisengage said frame and thereby latch and unlatch said door from saidframe, at at least one point on said frame, said handle means and saidhandle bearing means being formed with cooperative openings in each toreceive a locking means to prevent relative movement therebetween, saidhandle means comprising an integrally formed, generally T-shaped memberhaving a gripping portion joined to a generally cylindrical stemportion, and disposed generally transverse thereto, said central axis ofrotation of said handle means being disposed longitudinally andcentrally through said stem portion, said stem portion and said grippingportion being rotatable about said central axis relativeto said door,said gripping portion being offset from said central axis thereby toallow a locking means having a shackle disposed through an openingformed in said stem portion to be pivoted upwardly adjacent saidgripping portion to provide access to the back of said locking means toopen said locking means or obtain information therefrom.

2. The locker assembly of claim 1 wherein said handle bearing meansincludes plate means mounted on said door and sleeve means joined tosaid plate means and disposed generally perpendicular thereto andextending therethrough, a rear portion of said sleeve means beinginserted through an opening formed in said door, said sleeve means beingformed to receive said handle means disposed for rotation therein, aforward portion of said sleeve means having openings formed therein tocorrespond to and cooperate with openings formed in said handle meanswhen said door is in latched position.

3. The locker assembly of claim 1 wherein said latching means includes alatching cam mounted on said stem portion of said handle means androtatable therewith to engage said frame when said door is in closedposition, and connecting rod means pivotally mounted on said latchingcam and extending in opposite directions therefrom along said door, saidconnecting rod means having means disposed near their opposite ends toengage said frame when said door is in a closed position, said handlemeans being rotatable on its central axis to move said latching cam,said connecting rod means and said means to engage said frame andthereby latch and unlatch said locker door.

4. The locker assembly of claim 1 wherein said latching means includes alatching cam mounted on said stem portion of said handle means androtatable therewith to engage said frame when said door is in a closedposition to latch said door, or to disengage said frame and unlatch saiddoor.

5. in a locker assembly including frame means, and door means hingedlymounted on said frame means for opening and closing with respectthereto, the improvement comprising, a handle assembly means mounted onsaid door means and having at least a portion rotatable relativethereto, and latching means mounted on said handle assembly means andmovable thereby with respect to said door means and said frame means tolatch and unlatch said door means when said door means is in closedposition with respect to said frame means, said handle assembly meansincluding bearing means mounted on said door means, said bearing meanshaving a plate means fixed to said door means and hollow sleeve meansdisposed perpendicularly through said plate means and joined thereto,and including handle means, said handle means having a gripping portionrigidly joined to a generally cylindrical stem portion, said stemportion having a central axis running longitudinally and centrallytherethrough for rotation of said handle means thereabout, said stemportion of said handle means being insertable through said sleeve meansand supported thereby, said handle means being rotatable thereinrelative to said door means about said central axis, said handle meansbeing used in latching, unlatching and opening and closing said doormeans, said gripping portion being disposed generally transversely tosaid stem portion and offset radially with respect to said central axisto allow a locking means, disposed through cooperative openings formedin said stem portion and said bearing means to prevent relative movementtherebetween, to be rotated upwardly and forwardly to provide access toa reverse side thereof.

6. The improvement set forth in claim 5 wherein said latching meansincludes a latching cam mounted on said stem portion of said handlemeans and rotatable therewith, and connecting rod means pivotallymounted on said latching cam and extending in opposite directionstherefrom along said door means, said connecting rod means having meansdisposed near their opposite ends to engage said frame means when saiddoor means is in a closed position, said handle means being rotatable onits central axis to move said latching cam, said connecting rod meansand said means to engage said frame to latch and unlatch said lockerdoor means with respect to said frame means.

7. The improvement set forth in claim 5 wherein said latching meansincludes a latching cam mounted on said stem portion of said handlemeans and rotatable therewith to engage said frame when said door is ina closed position to latch said door or to disengage said frame andunlatch said door.

8. In a locker assembly including a frame member and a closure memberhingedly mounted on said frame member for opening and closing withrespect thereto, the improvement comprising handle assembly meansmounted on one of said members for rotatable movement with respectthereto, and latching means mounted on said handle assembly means andmovable thereby to engage and disengage the other of said members whensaid closure means is in a closed position and thereby latch and unlatchsaid closure member with respect to said frame member, said handleassembly means receiving the shackle of a locking means through aportion thereof to prevent movement of said handle assembly means withrespect to said closure member, said handle assembly means includinghandle bearing means mounted on a door and handle means mounted in saidhandle bearing means, said handle means having a central axis and beingrotatable with respect to said handle bearing means including anintegrally formed generally T-shaped member having a gripping portionjoined-to a generally cylindrical stem portion and disposed generallytransversely thereto, said central axis of rotation of said handle meansbeing disposed longitudinally and centrally through said stem portion,said gripping portion being offset from said central axis thereby toallow a locking means having a shackle disposed-through an openingformed in said stem portion to bepivoted upwardly adjacent said grippingportion to provide access to the back of said locking means to open saidlocking means or obtain information therefrom.

9. The improvement set forth in claim 8 wherein said handle bearingmeans includes plate means mounted on said door and sleeve means joinedto said plate means and disposed generally perpendicular thereto andextending therethrough, a rear portion of said sleeve means beinginserted through an opening formed in said door, said sleeve means beingformed to receive said handle means disposed for rotation therein, aforward portion of said sleeve means having openings formed therein tocorrespond to and cooperate with openings formed in said handle meanswhen said door is in latched position.

10. The improvement set forth in claim 8 wherein said latching meansincludes a latching cam mounted on said stem portion of said handlemeans and rotatable therewith to engage said frame member when saidclosure member is in a closed position, and connecting rod meanspivotally mounted on said latching cam and extending in oppositedirections therefrom along said closure member, said connecting rodmeans having means disposed near their opposite ends to engage saidframe member when said closure member is in a closed position, saidhandle means being rotatable on its central axis to move said latchingcam, said connecting rod means and said means to engage said frame andthereby latch and unlatch said closure member.

11. The improvement set forth in claim 8 wherein said latching meansincludes a latching cam mounted on said stem portion of said handlemeans and rotatable therewith to engage said frame member when saidclosure member is in a closed position to latch said closure member orto disengage said frame and unlatch said closure member.

1. A locker assembly including a frame, a door hingedly mounted on saidframe for opening and closing movement with respect thereto, handlebearing means mounted on said door, handle means being mounted in saidhandle bearing means for rotation relative to said door about a centralaxis, said handle means being used in latching, unlatching and openingand closing said door, and latching means mounted on said handle meansand movable on rotation thereof with respect to said door to engage anddisengage said frame and thereby latch and unlatch said door from saidframe, at at least one point on said frame, said handle means and saidhandle bearing means being formed with cooperative openings in each toreceive a locking means to prevent relative movement therebetween, saidhandle means comprising an integrally formed, generally T-shaped memberhaving a gripping portion joined to a generally cylindrical stemportion, and disposed gEnerally transverse thereto, said central axis ofrotation of said handle means being disposed longitudinally andcentrally through said stem portion, said stem portion and said grippingportion being rotatable about said central axis relative to said door,said gripping portion being offset from said central axis thereby toallow a locking means having a shackle disposed through an openingformed in said stem portion to be pivoted upwardly adjacent saidgripping portion to provide access to the back of said locking means toopen said locking means or obtain information therefrom.
 2. The lockerassembly of claim 1 wherein said handle bearing means includes platemeans mounted on said door and sleeve means joined to said plate meansand disposed generally perpendicular thereto and extending therethrough,a rear portion of said sleeve means being inserted through an openingformed in said door, said sleeve means being formed to receive saidhandle means disposed for rotation therein, a forward portion of saidsleeve means having openings formed therein to correspond to andcooperate with openings formed in said handle means when said door is inlatched position.
 3. The locker assembly of claim 1 wherein saidlatching means includes a latching cam mounted on said stem portion ofsaid handle means and rotatable therewith to engage said frame when saiddoor is in closed position, and connecting rod means pivotally mountedon said latching cam and extending in opposite directions therefromalong said door, said connecting rod means having means disposed neartheir opposite ends to engage said frame when said door is in a closedposition, said handle means being rotatable on its central axis to movesaid latching cam, said connecting rod means and said means to engagesaid frame and thereby latch and unlatch said locker door.
 4. The lockerassembly of claim 1 wherein said latching means includes a latching cammounted on said stem portion of said handle means and rotatabletherewith to engage said frame when said door is in a closed position tolatch said door, or to disengage said frame and unlatch said door.
 5. Ina locker assembly including frame means, and door means hingedly mountedon said frame means for opening and closing with respect thereto, theimprovement comprising, a handle assembly means mounted on said doormeans and having at least a portion rotatable relative thereto, andlatching means mounted on said handle assembly means and movable therebywith respect to said door means and said frame means to latch andunlatch said door means when said door means is in closed position withrespect to said frame means, said handle assembly means includingbearing means mounted on said door means, said bearing means having aplate means fixed to said door means and hollow sleeve means disposedperpendicularly through said plate means and joined thereto, andincluding handle means, said handle means having a gripping portionrigidly joined to a generally cylindrical stem portion, said stemportion having a central axis running longitudinally and centrallytherethrough for rotation of said handle means thereabout, said stemportion of said handle means being insertable through said sleeve meansand supported thereby, said handle means being rotatable thereinrelative to said door means about said central axis, said handle meansbeing used in latching, unlatching and opening and closing said doormeans, said gripping portion being disposed generally transversely tosaid stem portion and offset radially with respect to said central axisto allow a locking means, disposed through cooperative openings formedin said stem portion and said bearing means to prevent relative movementtherebetween, to be rotated upwardly and forwardly to provide access toa reverse side thereof.
 6. The improvement set forth in claim 5 whereinsaid latching means includes a latching cam mounted on said stem portionof said handle means and rotatable therewith, and connecting Rod meanspivotally mounted on said latching cam and extending in oppositedirections therefrom along said door means, said connecting rod meanshaving means disposed near their opposite ends to engage said framemeans when said door means is in a closed position, said handle meansbeing rotatable on its central axis to move said latching cam, saidconnecting rod means and said means to engage said frame to latch andunlatch said locker door means with respect to said frame means.
 7. Theimprovement set forth in claim 5 wherein said latching means includes alatching cam mounted on said stem portion of said handle means androtatable therewith to engage said frame when said door is in a closedposition to latch said door or to disengage said frame and unlatch saiddoor.
 8. In a locker assembly including a frame member and a closuremember hingedly mounted on said frame member for opening and closingwith respect thereto, the improvement comprising handle assembly meansmounted on one of said members for rotatable movement with respectthereto, and latching means mounted on said handle assembly means andmovable thereby to engage and disengage the other of said members whensaid closure means is in a closed position and thereby latch and unlatchsaid closure member with respect to said frame member, said handleassembly means receiving the shackle of a locking means through aportion thereof to prevent movement of said handle assembly means withrespect to said closure member, said handle assembly means includinghandle bearing means mounted on a door and handle means mounted in saidhandle bearing means, said handle means having a central axis and beingrotatable with respect to said handle bearing means including anintegrally formed generally T-shaped member having a gripping portionjoined to a generally cylindrical stem portion and disposed generallytransversely thereto, said central axis of rotation of said handle meansbeing disposed longitudinally and centrally through said stem portion,said gripping portion being offset from said central axis thereby toallow a locking means having a shackle disposed through an openingformed in said stem portion to be pivoted upwardly adjacent saidgripping portion to provide access to the back of said locking means toopen said locking means or obtain information therefrom.
 9. Theimprovement set forth in claim 8 wherein said handle bearing meansincludes plate means mounted on said door and sleeve means joined tosaid plate means and disposed generally perpendicular thereto andextending therethrough, a rear portion of said sleeve means beinginserted through an opening formed in said door, said sleeve means beingformed to receive said handle means disposed for rotation therein, aforward portion of said sleeve means having openings formed therein tocorrespond to and cooperate with openings formed in said handle meanswhen said door is in latched position.
 10. The improvement set forth inclaim 8 wherein said latching means includes a latching cam mounted onsaid stem portion of said handle means and rotatable therewith to engagesaid frame member when said closure member is in a closed position, andconnecting rod means pivotally mounted on said latching cam andextending in opposite directions therefrom along said closure member,said connecting rod means having means disposed near their opposite endsto engage said frame member when said closure member is in a closedposition, said handle means being rotatable on its central axis to movesaid latching cam, said connecting rod means and said means to engagesaid frame and thereby latch and unlatch said closure member.
 11. Theimprovement set forth in claim 8 wherein said latching means includes alatching cam mounted on said stem portion of said handle means androtatable therewith to engage said frame member when said closure memberis in a closed position to latch said closure member or to disengagesaid frame and unlatch said closure member.